The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-10-05
WHOLE NO. 1890.

search his prisoner When the prisoner
purse containing the money was produc
+ ed the man who found the nnarriere.
stranger set up shout, and fixing hi
ewes on the blood ON the prisoners fac,
said he Was sure he wafthe murderer am
robber, and at the proper time would tel
all about it. No assertion or explana
ton II Suarez could serve him one jot
and he was finally conveyed to the jai
and locked up.
The next day Suarez was eonducte'
after much peril into the presence Of th'
village magistrate. His acerser was plac
td before him, and in blunt. straight
forward manner told his stcry-how h'
was passing along the road how h'
found the stranger with fractured skull
lying dead. and covered with blood anc
brains how he went for assistance. ana
on MS return found the clothes scattered
about and the body removed Suarez''
own money and his own blood OF hi
face was given in evidence against him
the story was complete in all Its details
and the investigation ended in the pris-
oner being committed 70 the county jail
to await trial for the wilful murder of q
person unknown, and the constable was
ordered to make diligent search for the
body. shortly after his commitment, as
if all circumstances eonspired against him,
the people, after an active search, sue
eeeded in discovering the body Of a
strange person. almost in state Of nudity
in a canal, which ran along the bark Of
the town. upon which the coroner sat in
due form and thus, Ia the satisfaction OF
his prosecutors, a chain Of evidence was
made out sufficiently strong to put S,urez
on trial
Let those good people, who preach 80
strongly in favor Of the comfortable feel
ings arising from conscious innocence,
and build 80 much on inward fortitude,
and who join in the declaration Of the
poet, thar what Is, Is right let them
place themselves fora moment in Suarez' 5
positiOn-let them feel the horrors OF a
man charged with bis own murder, and
unable to convince the judges that be is
IN existence. How Obtuse are the intel
lects Of many worthy people, who, in the
eager pursuit Of truth. hug 70 their hearts
any antics that may chance to assume
the garb Of that rarely discovered person
age,
Already >uarez faneied in his gloomy
reflections that he heard the jury declare
him guilty and in his dreams he saw the
fatal black cap placed over his head.
Then he f8ncied he heard his last dying
speech and confessions ehanted about the
streets. and posted on cottage walls, and
children taught from reading them the
necessity of virtue. Then horrors of an
ignominous death-the halter-the gal
low-the shouts Of monster murder
er," etc, all eehoing around him in his
imagination.
At length the accused man was placed
on trial. His own conviction Of his per
sonal identity was complete, but would it
avail him anything The story on
which he had 70 depend was nothing in
the face Of the evidence to be adduced.
should he be allowed 10 set up himself as
the murdered man. when the witness saw
him dead, and the body was afterward
found in the canal 1t was contrary to
common sense, and would, of course, be
looked upon as the desperate attempt Of
the hardened villain to battle the ends Of
justice. The trial proceeded The audi
enee shuddered as they heard the glaring
facts. And, oh what looks Of horror
and reproach were cast at the prisoner
Preiudice. with her myriad ears, was
gaping on. and Fulping down the pzlpa-
bic story The witnesses gave their evi-
dence with elearness and precision. The
landlord Of the little public house where
Suarez first stopped was called to prove
his having seen the dollars in the posses
sion of the murdered man when at his
house. During all the previous proceed
ines this man had never before looked at
Suarez face 30 face; but when he was
confronted with him he gave an involun-
tary starr. and seemed unable 10 utter
syllable. He fixed his eyes intently on
the prisoner, and pointing to his own
cheek. stammered out:
He is not guilty he is not guilty.
Hearing this exclamation, and seeing
him point TO his cheek, Suarez remember
ed that he had large scar on his own.
from a saber wound he received years be-
fore; and when the witness gained his
eomposure he proceeded 70 identify
Suarez as the man who came to MS house
with q quantity Of money, on the even
ing Of the supposed murder, and asserted
that the prisoner could be none other
than the supposed victim of brutal yio-
lenee-
But the body found in the eansl-had
il scar Ike Suarez's on the cheek? No
the witness who found II remembered
II had not. Hope dawned on suarez
warmly enough. He was called on for
his defense. and told his tale simply and
compose,iIy, and ms heart beat calmly.
The Judge summed up briefly and d.
rected the jury. as usual. that if there was
any doubt, the prisoner should identified
to the benefit Of i. The jury obeyed the
direction Of the Judge. and the vardict Of
- not guilty alone afforded suarez the
melancholy satisfaction Of rpl&ting 70 the
writer sufferings not to be found among
the destinies Of any other man in the
world.
Some ill-natured people, notsithstand-
ing the verdict. still believed s1arez to be
guilty, but the majority called him inno-
cent; and while the newspapers were
zealousIy arguing pro and con the ques-
ton, he quietly slipped off to this country,
and Is now living in tolerable ease in
and no one has ever since ven
tured to dispute with him whether he Is
dead OF aIiys.-4da4.td Constitution
The Day of Ones Birth.